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HossC Jul 25, 2020 10:28 PM

:previous:

You beat me to it by seconds, Beaudry!

There seem to be quite a few images showing the area around the western end of the Third Street tunnel/Hope Street and the Alta Vista. I've marked my guess for the location of the building with the X on the 1955 image below. It's on the sloped road that runs parallel to Hope Street joining Third Street to Second Street. The Alta Vista is the white building on Bunker Hill Avenue in the lower left corner. I think that the windows of the large white building on Cinnabar Street match the building in the background of the mystery photo.

https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...treetView1.jpg
USC Digital Library

HossC Jul 25, 2020 10:57 PM

:previous:

This 1956 LAPL image shows the building from a different angle (but no arrow). It was originally posted on page 2 of NLA, but the hotlinked image is now missing.

https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...treetView2.jpg
LAPL

ethereal_reality Jul 25, 2020 11:33 PM

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Excellent sleuthing Beaudry and Hoss.

So do you think the neon arrow was pointing to the parking lot behind the building?

and not some opium haze-shrouded subterranean Chinese Restaurant. . . like my overactive mind had imagined.







edit:

This lot.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/8...922/AE5MdG.jpg
originally posted by HossC



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Lwize Jul 26, 2020 2:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality (Post 8991741)
Tonight (7-25-20) Jacques Demy's Model Shop [1969] is showing on TCM at 11:45 E / 10:45 C / 9:45 M / 8:45 P.

There are fantastic views of Los Angeles throughout this film. (1969/69)

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/nQ1sJS.jpg
TCM

Funny to see this listed again. TCM aired The Model Shop 6/19/19 during their "Films of 1969" week.

I just watched Tarantino's Once Upon a Time ... In Hollywood last night, where Tarantino paid homage to The Model Shop with driving scenes (and a small British roadster) around Hollywood in 1969. :)

ethereal_reality Jul 26, 2020 8:17 PM

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I realize we have seen the Cinerama Dome innumerable times on NLA but here are two original tourist' slides taken in 1964.


This first slide caught my eye because the dome appears to be located in a fairly sparse area (& not in the middle of Hollywood!)

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/ugd2C7.jpg
eBay





In this next slide we're looking in the opposite direction towards the Sunset-Vine Tower (southeast corner of Sunset and Vine)


https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/WHwyeJ.jpg
eBay

I remember going to the top of Sunset Tower for drinks back in the 1980s. I don't recall the name of the bar but I believe it was the 'in place' for a jazz.

also. . there was an express elevator that took you to the top. (hmm. . .or maybe it was just a normal elevator that became an express at night)

Does anyone know if there's still a nightclub at the top?




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HossC Jul 26, 2020 8:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality (Post 8992459)

This first slide caught my eye because the dome appears to be located in a fairly sparse area (& not in the middle of Hollywood!)

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/ugd2C7.jpg
eBay

I've posted at least one of the photos from this 1963 series before, but I can't find it. It captures the Pacific Cinerama Theatre under construction, and shows most of the surrounding blocks as either parking lots or single-story buildings.

https://tessa.lapl.org/utils/ajaxhel...XT=&DMROTATE=0https://tessa.lapl.org/utils/ajaxhel...XT=&DMROTATE=0
https://tessa.lapl.org/utils/ajaxhel...XT=&DMROTATE=0https://tessa.lapl.org/utils/ajaxhel...XT=&DMROTATE=0
LAPL

Sorry, I've to hotlink the image, Photobucket etc. - you know the rest!

Martin Pal Jul 26, 2020 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality (Post 8992459)
.I remember going to the top of Sunset Tower for drinks back in the 1980s. I don't recall the name of the bar but I believe it was the 'in place' for a jazz.

also. . there was an express elevator that took you to the top. (hmm. . .or maybe it was just a normal elevator that became an express at night)

Does anyone know if there's still a nightclub at the top?
.

The place was called Simply Blues.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/e0/21/ba/e...dff547a901.jpg


There was a fire in the building in 2001 and it was empty for several years and another fire occurred in 2005. It has since been turned into luxury apartments.

Here's a link to a blog page called HERE IN THE HILLS, by a lady who lives in the hills who wrote some posts about the building and took photos of it from her place in the hills. There's a lot of photos. There's probably more about it, too, if one wanted to search her blog.

http://sitteninthehills64.blogspot.com/2008/03/

What she wrote about Simply Blues: There was a rather nice restaurant on the top floor, back in the day, called Simply Blues....There you could hear pretty good music and have some fairly good food, too. I remember going there sometime in the late 60's early 70's after seeing the fabulous show "Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well" at the then Huntington Hartford Theatre, up the street on Vine...(Now called the Ricardo Montalban Theatre.....) Later, that same restaurant/bar/jazz place was known as 360, because of the fantastic views from all sides, encompassing 360 degrees.

I ate there once with some friends before going to see a show at the Pantages in the late 1980's.

This NLA post shows the menu cover of Simply Blues:
https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...postcount=5847

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Pal (Post 8223877)
A nice L.A. Times article HERE, when the building was re-opening as luxury apartments, talks about the building's troubles, beginning in 2001 when "an electrical transformer exploded, plunging it into darkness and sending employees of 40 companies with offices there running down stairwells to safety. Because the electrical meltdown knocked out the building's fire alarm system, city inspectors and fire officials for months barred workers from entering to remove files, office equipment and personal property. But with the building's tenants locked out, vandals moved in, trashing some offices and stealing files and equipment. Neighbors were soon calling the place 'the world's biggest crack house.' Authorities ordered the tower fenced off about six months after the explosion."

Workers dismantling rooftop equipment with a cutting torch accidentally set the tower on fire in 2005.

http://www.jozjozjoz.com/archives/S+...-04-18p-sm.jpg

Because the elevators were still out of service, firefighters had to carry hundred-pound loads of hose and gear up stairwells to fight the flames. Later, they had to undergo decontamination because of asbestos exposure.
_________________________________________________________________


.....http://www.maggiore.net/greenacres/images/ztheme2.jpg
"I just adore a penthouse view..."

To answer your question, E_R, the top floor is now two penthouse apartments. I read there are 63 Luxury Apartments now in the building. According to their website, there are only two available right now.
A two bedroom on the 17th Floor and one of the two Penthouse Apartments on the 20th Floor.

If you want to take a virtual tour or look at some photos:
https://sunsetvinetower.com

ethereal_reality Jul 27, 2020 3:26 AM

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That's it, M P!

The two different fonts on this matchbook are Simply. . . . .:yuck:

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/e0/21/ba/e...dff547a901.jpg


There was a lot of bad taste in the 1980s.

For example: I wore a pair of pink and green pastel cotton shorts to Catalina once.
I also wore a Koala Blue sweatshirt from Olivia Newton-John's store on Melrose Ave.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...922/SFJku9.jpg

Korner of Australia Los Angeles = K O A L A (Blue) . . . . . . . . . . . . .(I thought it was clever)



Other than that I was pretty cool. ;)
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ethereal_reality Jul 27, 2020 4:55 AM

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Here's an article on the popularity of Melrose Avenue in the New York Times April 7, 1984


https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/z4GsGr.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/O1tjAq.jpg
nytimes / timemachine I think you have to be a subscriber.


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nadeau Jul 27, 2020 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality (Post 8992735)
.

That's it, M P!

The two different fonts on this matchbook are Simply. . . . .:yuck:

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/e0/21/ba/e...dff547a901.jpg


There was a lot of bad taste in the 1980s.

For example: I wore a pair of pink and green pastel cotton shorts to Catalina once.
I also wore a Koala Blue sweatshirt from Olivia Newton-John's store on Melrose Ave.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...922/SFJku9.jpg

Korner of Australia Los Angeles = K O A L A (Blue) . . . . . . . . . . . . .(I thought it was clever)



Other than that I was pretty cool. ;)
.

There was also a nightclub in the Penthouse called Beige in the mid to late 90s. The building already seemed pretty vacant at that time.

Scott Charles Jul 27, 2020 1:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Pal (Post 8992540)
The place was called Simply Blues.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nadeau (Post 8992867)
There was also a nightclub in the Penthouse called Beige in the mid to late 90s.

My then-girlfriend and I went to this place around the turn of the century with another couple, not sure if it was called Simply Blues or Beige at the time.

Once there, we discovered it was transgender night! The place was packed with women who were born as men. I believe it was a regular occurrence at the club.

(Note: no disrespect is intended towards the patrons of the club that night - they may have simply been cross-dressers instead of transgender, and I am unsure of the correct terminology to use. Whatever the case, they were young, very stylish and dolled-up, and quite convincing.)

BDiH Jul 27, 2020 5:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality (Post 8992459)
.

I remember going to the top of Sunset Tower for drinks back in the 1980s. I don't recall the name of the bar but I believe it was the 'in place' for a jazz.

I remember my mom and dad going to the Room at the Top in 1964, when the building was still new. I asked my dad how he liked it and he said, "That's the first time I ever paid $2.00 for a drink."

ethereal_reality Jul 27, 2020 8:37 PM

.
Mystery building.




I was looking at the amazing aerial Hoss posted and one nearby building caught my eye.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/nJzZBX.jpg

It appears to be a turn of the century house . . . what with the chimneys and all . . . (it might have a red tile roof as well)




but when you look at building in question from a different angle (shown below / same year) it appears to be something else, entirely.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/bN0ZoU.jpg
1963 / W & P

. . .like, perhaps, an old train station that might have been moved to this spot. :shrug:



Super-Duper Close-Up
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/Wa3K7e.jpg

Sorry about the blurriness..........................................

I've been trying to find information but I haven't figured out its street address. I imagine it had a Vine address, right?

I'm also interested in the two vintage homes just northwest of the mystery building. (the one-story 'ranch' home is practically next door)


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odinthor Jul 27, 2020 11:06 PM

:previous:

e_r, I believe that the smaller home barely visible in the "different angle" pic, practically hidden behind trees, just to the left of your red circle, is what is now the Off Vine Restaurant, address 6263 Leland Way . . . memorable to me because that's where I had a meeting with two producers who were interested in "doing" my Visit to Old Los Angeles as some sort of TV thing. (LOL, we didn't take to each other, so that was that.) The food, service, and atmosphere at the still-extant restaurant were all first-rate! I keep meaning to stage a return visit.

BDiH Jul 27, 2020 11:40 PM

Lots of sites of former businesses that are aren't there anymore in those photos: Wallich's, Pep Boys, The Hangover, Norm's, Hollywood Canteen, etc, etc. I was hoping to see the Shack on Cole, but it's not shown.

Scott Charles Jul 28, 2020 3:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by odinthor (Post 8993626)
:previous:

e_r, I believe that the smaller home barely visible in the "different angle" pic, practically hidden behind trees, just to the left of your red circle, is what is now the Off Vine Restaurant, address 6263 Leland Way . . . memorable to me because that's where I had a meeting with two producers who were interested in "doing" my Visit to Old Los Angeles as some sort of TV thing. (LOL, we didn't take to each other, so that was that.) The food, service, and atmosphere at the still-extant restaurant were all first-rate! I keep meaning to stage a return visit.

Am I mistaken, or isn't 6263 Leland Way further off to the right?

https://i.imgur.com/ydehI0A.jpg

odinthor Jul 28, 2020 3:44 AM

:previous:

Hmmmmm Scott Charles, I think you're right! Thanks.

It's interesting to look at the disjunct sections of Leland Way, which aren't even in line with each other. Note its fits and starts west to Mansfield; the other way, it seems to end its career east at El Centro. I wonder how this scramble came to be . . . ?

badrunner Jul 28, 2020 4:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beaudry (Post 8991941)
Wow! I'd seen that Frank photo a long time ago and never realized it was Bunker Hill. How cool, neon on the Hill! So yeah, this is looking down from Hope St above the Third St tunnel, that building with the arrow is a garage at the NW corner of Third and Hope. From the Nadel shots at the Getty:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0ba2c185_h.jpg

What is that structure in the upper left corner of the picture? Looks like a trestle bridge. Railroad?

badrunner Jul 28, 2020 5:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by riichkay (Post 8988563)
https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...080&fit=bounds
UCLA archives

A view down Olive St. from just past the Fremont Hotel, 1928.



https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...080&fit=bounds

There's some major construction underway in the middle of the street.

Current view:
https://i.postimg.cc/z5dZKzMw/4th-grand.png
https://goo.gl/maps/k8LAauyBZWxEFwBW7

Couple of observations:

- Down around 4th and Spring things are mostly intact, everything else is gone.

- 4th street had a much steeper grade back then. I'm guessing Grand ave represents the original grade of 4th st: https://goo.gl/maps/U29yLU8PR1GiZeQD9

ethereal_reality Jul 28, 2020 2:34 PM

.

Quote:

Originally Posted by badrunner (Post 8993898)
What is that structure in the upper left corner of the picture? Looks like a trestle bridge. Railroad?

Good eye, badrunner. It does look like a trestle.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/GpHX6U.jpg
detail

And what's going on on this rooftop?................................................................:previous:


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